Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Lamborghini SpA, maker of the $1
million Aventador LP 700-4, said industry sales of ultra-luxury
sports cars may slow as signs that China’s economy is weakening
puts off some buyers.

“If you look at the economy right now, there may be some
uncertainty to make people wait a little,” Christian Mastro,
Lamborghini’s Asia Pacific general manager, said in a phone
interview on Feb. 16. “The number of people able to spend this
kind of money is limited, it’s not unlimited.”

Growth in the world’s second-largest economy cooled to the
slowest pace in more than two years in the fourth quarter and
the trade ministry described the export outlook as “grim” last
week. Lamborghini’s sales jumped about 70 percent in the country
last year as rising incomes pushed up the number of Chinese
millionaires and stoked demand for luxury goods.

Lamborghini joins Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s Rolls-Royce
in forecasting more muted demand for ultra-luxury cars in China,
which has grown to become the largest market for automakers from
Audi to General Motors Co.

Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Officer Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes
predicted last month that China’s growth will be less
“explosive” this year. Total auto sales slowed last year after
the end of stimulus measures and the economic expansion showed
signs of easing.

Lamborghini aims to boost deliveries in China by 20 percent
to 30 percent, less than half the pace of last year, as the
sportscar maker can’t produce enough Aventadors to meet the 18-month waiting list, Mastro said.

Makers of supercars have come to a consensus that the
segment will grow about 25 percent in China to about 2,000 cars
this year, versus a doubling in 2011, Mastro said.

Marketing Drive

Lamborghini plans to spend 20 percent more on marketing
this year and will hold more events such as track drives to spur
sales, he said. The Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy-based company
will also expand the number of dealers this year by six to 20,
opening in smaller cities outside Shanghai and Beijing such as
Xi’an, Nanjing, Changsha and Shenyang, he said.

The typical buyer of a Lamborghini in China is on average
20 years younger than in Europe, according to the company.
Chinese customers have to wait at least 18 months before taking
delivery of the Aventador, which has a 700-horsepower V12 engine
and can accelerate to 62 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds, Mastro
said. The company also sells the Gallardo in the country.

Lamborghini plans to make 900 Aventadors globally this year
and has sold out all 80 it allocated to China this year, Mastro
said. The company has no immediate plan to raise the quota so as
to ensure supply for other regions, he said.

The sportscar maker sold a total of 342 units in China last
year, overtaking the U.S. as its largest market. The Volkswagen
AG unit more than doubled its deliveries in China to 206 cars in
2010, from 80 in the previous 12-month period.